Non-ceramic hard armor composite

Abstract

A hard armor composite includes a rigid non-ceramic facing and a ballistic fabric backing. The fabric backing is carried by the facing, and includes an array of bundled high-performance fibers. The fibers have a tensile strength greater than 7 grams per denier and a denier per filament ratio of less than 5.4.

1 . A hard armor composite, comprising: 
 (a) a rigid non-ceramic facing; and    (b) a ballistic fabric backing carried by said facing, and comprising an array of bundled high-performance fibers, said fibers having a tensile strength greater than 7 grams per denier and a denier per filament ratio of less than 5.4.    
   
   
       2 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 1 , wherein said fabric backing comprises a plurality of overlying fabric layers.  
   
   
       3 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 2 , wherein said fabric layers are laminated under heat and pressure to form a unitary ballistic structure.  
   
   
       4 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 1 , and comprising means for adhering said fabric backing to said facing.  
   
   
       5 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 4 , wherein said means for adhering comprises an adhesive selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic polymer resin matrix and a thermosetting polymer resin matrix.  
   
   
       6 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 4 , wherein said means for adhering comprises a polymer film.  
   
   
       7 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 4 , wherein said means for adhering comprises an adhesive selected from the group consisting of an epoxy adhesive, a polysulfide adhesive, a polyurethane adhesive, a phenolic adhesive, a polyester adhesive, a polyvinyl butyral adhesive, a polyolefin adhesive, and a vinyl ester adhesive.  
   
   
       8 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 1 , wherein said rigid facing is constructed of a material selected from the group consisting of steel, glass, aluminum, titanium, and graphite.  
   
   
       9 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 1 , wherein said high-performance fibers are selected from the group consisting of aramid, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), poly{p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole}(PBO), and poly {diimidazo pyridinylene (dihydroxy) phenylene} (M5).  
   
   
       10 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 1 , wherein said rigid facing comprising a generally flat, continuous monolithic plate.  
   
   
       11 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 1 , wherein said rigid facing and fabric backing have a combined thickness of less than 0.900-inches.  
   
   
       12 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 11 , wherein said rigid facing and fabric backing have a combined weight of less than 5.1 pounds per square foot.  
   
   
       13 . A hard armor composite, comprising: 
 (a) a rigid non-ceramic facing; and    (b) a ballistic fabric backing carried by said facing, and comprising an array of bundled high-performance fibers, said fibers having a tensile strength greater than 7 grams per denier and a denier per filament ratio of no more than 2.0.    
   
   
       14 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 13 , wherein said non-ceramic facing comprises a material selected from the group consisting of boron carbide, silicon carbide, titanium diboride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, sintered silicon carbide, sintered silicon nitride, and aluminum oxide.  
   
   
       15 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 13 , and comprising means for adhering said fabric backing to said non-ceramic facing.  
   
   
       16 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 15 , wherein said means for adhering comprises an adhesive selected from the group consisting of an epoxy adhesive, a polysulfide adhesive, a polyurethane adhesive, a phenolic adhesive, a polyester adhesive, a polyvinyl butyral adhesive, or a polyolefin adhesive, and a vinyl ester adhesive.  
   
   
       17 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 13 , wherein said non-ceramic facing comprises a generally flat, continuous monolithic plate.  
   
   
       18 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 13 , wherein said non-ceramic facing and fabric backing have a combined thickness of less than 0.900-inches.  
   
   
       19 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 18 , wherein said non-ceramic facing and fabric backing have a combined weight of less than 5.1 pounds per square foot.  
   
   
       20 . A hard armor composite according to  claim 13 , wherein said high-performance fibers are selected from the group consisting of aramid, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), poly {p-phenylene-2, 6-benzobisoxazole} (PBO), and poly {diimidazo pyridinylene (dihydroxy) phenylene} (M5).